Senior Policy Analyst (Community Engagement and Outreach)

About Us

The Office of Equity and Anti-Racism (OEA) works across government with partners and communities and public service employees, to help lead and support government’s equity and anti-racism work. In July 2024, our mandate was expanded to include both an internal and external focus. 

• For public service employees—we work to promote and advance equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility and to create a culturally responsive workplace; and 
• For all Nova Scotians—we work to identify and address systemic racism, barriers, and inequities in government policy, legislation, programs and services.

We are an energetic team with a positive attitude and determination to make a difference by applying an all of government approach. Our team strives to be representative of the communities we serve and we strongly value diversity.

If you are passionate about community engagement, interested in making a difference and wish to join a strong team who strive to achieve change, we are interested in hearing from you!

About Our Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced community engagement practitioner to join our team. This position will help ensure the voices of underrepresented and underserved communities are heard and represented through engagement activities conducted OEA and assist government departments in doing the same. In this role you will have the exciting opportunity to influence the way government engagements are conducted more broadly and will help implement the newly released Public Engagement Guidebook and Planning Template. You will also have opportunities to work on other projects including supporting municipalities develop equity and anti-racism plans.
 

As a member of our team, you will have the opportunity to help shape, guide and support the efforts to address systemic inequity and racism, promoting diversity and achieving equitable and anti-racist outcomes throughout government having a direct impact on underserved and underrepresented communities. 

Primary Accountabilities

Engagement and outreach are integral to the work of OEA. In this role you will lead engagement and outreach framework development and implementation, provide the office with recommendations on engagement, strategic decision making, compile jurisdictional scans, lead, and support OEA in simultaneous engagement an outreach effort.
 

You will research best practices and develop strategic engagement framework documents for engaging with underserved and underrepresented communities in Nova Scotia. You will also analyze and compile engagement reports and develop recommendations based on community engagement on government policies and programs. You will build upon existing community relationships, foster new opportunities, and lead on-going outreach efforts across Nova Scotia.

Qualifications and Experience

To be considered for this opportunity, you have a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of study, such as public administration or social sciences and several years of progressive experience. Preference will be given to candidates who have completed International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) training. Experience working with underserved and underrepresented communities is required. An equivalent combination of training and experience may be considered.

As the successful candidate, you are a motivated and resourceful individual who is effective at building and maintaining relationships and partnering with partners internal and external to OEA. You have experience developing and implementing engagement frameworks and your expertise will ensure that they are equitable and address current and emerging social trends. You have experiencing supporting and leading multiple initiatives and projects simultaneously, and delivering results with minimal supervision. Candidates need to demonstrate they can lead engagement activities using a variety of resources and tools (e.g. EngagementHQ), and that they can navigate difficult or challenging topics.

Your ability to make sound and thoughtful decisions is critical to this role. You also apply strategic thinking in your work, with a focus on continuous improvement. You value the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion. You consider the diverse needs of individuals in your decision making while collaborating with partners and colleagues.

As the successful candidate, you will have experience with analytical thinking; client orientation; adaptability & flexibility; effective interactive communication and outcome focus. You understand equity terms such as but not limited to: equity, racism, discrimination, homophobia/transphobia, and sexism. You are fully proficient in a Microsoft Office environment, including word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation tools. 

In addition, you will have:

• Proven experience engagement and outreach with underserved and underrepresented groups.
• Demonstrated experience in engagement framework development and implementation.
• Demonstrated ability to build collaborative working relationships internally and externally.

We will assess the above qualifications and competencies using one or more of the following tools: written examination, standardized tests, oral presentations, interview(s), and reference checks.

Assets:

Experience working with the following communities will be considered an asset:

• Mi’kmaw and Persons of Indigenous descent;
• African Nova Scotians and Persons of African descent;
• Persons of Colour;
• Newcomers (immigrants and refugees);
• 2SLGBTQIA+--2 Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual/Biromantic, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual/Aromantic and others whose identities are not reflected;
• Persons with disabilities (physical and mental;
• Seniors; and
• Persons who are neurodivergent.

Equivalency

Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

LEADS

The Government of Nova Scotia has adopted the LEADS Leadership Framework. During the interview, candidates will be expected to express how they have demonstrated the key behaviors and capabilities required to effectively lead in a caring and inclusive environment. LEADS Domains include Leads Self, Engage Others, Achieve Results, Develop Coalitions, and Systems Transformation.

Please follow LEADS for more information.

Benefits

Based on the employment status and union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, Health, Dental, Life Insurance, General illness, Short and Long Term Disability, Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs.  For information on all our Benefit program offerings, click here: Benefits for government employees.

What We Offer

• Career Development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career.
• Engaging workplace. Our Employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in. We have forward-thinking policies and strategies.
• Countless career paths.
• A dynamic, client-focused office environment where service excellence and teamwork are our focus